This initiative was introduced to the House on June 7, 2017 and to the Senate on June 9, 2017. This Act honors the treatment preferences of those with serious illnesses or frail health. A majority of this initiative discusses much needed advanced care planning to ensure patient wishes are honored.

Supported by the National POLST Paradigm in effort to ensure all states adopt a standard of care for those people with end of care disease and wishes. Currently 46 states have conformed to some level of adoption. To identify your states position in the POLST initiative please visit Here

As a Nurse this initiative helps to ensure patient wishes are carried out from facility to facility and state to state. Nurses often face the challenge of ensuring wishes are carried out as providers change and different family members arrive to the bedside.

Repeal Obama Care? The Trump administration has pledged to change the Affordable Care Act (ACA) thru a bill known as the American Health Care Act of 2017.

The AHCA was first introduced on March 6, 2017 in an effort to repeal and replace many components of the ACA. A few of the key amendments passed by the House includes removal of tax penalties for those without health insurance, 30% late enrollment penalty for those with 63 day or greater lapse in coverage, changes in tax credits in addition to where tax cannot be used to cover abortion, addition of a patient and state stability fund to provide financial support, repeal of the small business tax credit program, and the prohibition of federal medicaid funding to planned parenthood clinics, to name a few.

The American Nursing Association does not support the AHCA. To name a few reasons why the ANA repealed this bill include: the restructure of medicaid would restrict millions of women from healthcare, Read more on this position statement by the ANA

SMASH ACT -Introduced April 5, 2017 to support programs to improve diseases associated with mosquito and vector born illnesses. Nurses are well aware of just how sick people can get from some of these illnesses. Programs must be in place to protect people from this danger.

Medicare Part B Improvement Act of 2017 - Bill seeking to improve the delivery of home infusion therapy and dialysis under the Stark Rule. This rule is a measure in place that prohibits physicians from recommending services that they will receive financial funds from. Read more of the Stark Rule here!

As nurses we discharge people to home and we cross our fingers the systems in place will come thru. As holistic care providers, nurses do not simply tell a patient to take these medications. We must figure out with the patient how exactly they will get medications and equipment. This bill supports this for those requiring intravenous and dialysis support.